Firecracker cannon



Oct. 13, 1942. E. o. BONEWITZ 2,298,609

FIRE-CRACKER CANNON Filed June 21 1940 Patented Oct. 13, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE FIRECRACKER CANNON Everett D. Bonewitz, Monterey Park, Calif. Application June 21, 1940, Serial No. 341,704

1 Claim.

This invention is a cannon for the ignition and projection of a desired type of fire-cracker into the air, for delayed explosion, by the previous explosion of another fire-cracker in the breech of the cannon.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a safety fire-cracker shooting device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double-explosion fire-cracker cannon in which a breech loaded cracker is utilized as the means for igniting a muzzle loaded cracker in the cannon.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a cannon base and a cannor barrel in rigidly fixed association and with a downwardly directed, breech-loading end to promote safety in the normal use of the device by incautious children, and in this connection an object is to provide an automatically closing breech shutter to reduce the hazard of a loaded cracker being ignited and exploding before the retaining shutter should have been closed by hand.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a cannon of the class described with a breech shutter having a spark guard.

A desideratum of the invention is to provide the cannon with a breech lip to facilitate the insertion of the desired projectile discharging cracker.

An object is to provide a novel and highly effective method in which a breech-inserted firecracker is utilized for the ignition of the fuse of another fire-cracker when the two are juxtaposed in the cannon bore with the fuse of the breech cracker exposed to be hand lighted and with the fuse of the muzzle-inserted cracker toward the breech cracker so that when the breech cracker presently explodes in the bore the fire thereof will ignite the adjacent fuse of the muzzle-inserted cracker and this will at the same instant be projected from the mouth of the cannon and self-exploded at a considerable distance from the cannon: with safety to those firing the cannon; further, the method extends to the employment, preferably, of a black-powder cracker in the cannon breech, and a "flash cracker in the bore outwardly of the breech-end cracker. The firing sequence will be the same even though the two fire-crackers should be placed, in the order stated, into the bore, with the black powder cracker fuse exposed at the breech, both from either end of the barrel of the cannon.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as will be hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combination and sub-combinations and the details of means, and the manner of operation, and the method, will be made manifest in the description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, principle and spirit of the invention as it is more directly, or particularly, claimed hereinbelow.

Fig. l is a muzzle-broken plan, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cannon; the breech being open.

The cannon embodies a suitable, preferably stamped-sheet-metal, base 2 having a breech jacket 3 fitting and rigidly securing the breech end sleeve 4 of a cylindrical body 5 in which is fixed and fitted a long barrel 6.

The barrel 6 projects very considerably forwardly from the body 5 and slightly projects at I from the rear or breech end of the body 5, or is exposed thereat for ready insertion of a firecracker 13, preferably of black powder.

The lower edge of the barrel 6 extends rearward axially at lip 8 farther than the upper axially forward part I in a manner to facilitate the pushing of the black powder cracker B into the bore of the barrel with the fuse of the cracker B well exposed at the breech of the barrel.

Means are provided to retain the cracker B in place in the breech and to suitably cover the breech inlet and here includes a transverse shutter it] with side parts or arms H at the opposite sides of the sleeve jacket 3, and the arms H are tiltable on a pivot [2, arranged transversely in the upper part of the base 2, to be tilted up by finger pressure on an extended lever part I3 01 the shutter. It is preferred that the shutter lei be automatically closed downwardly by a spring M as a safety feature.

In the closed position of the shutter (it is shown open in Fig. 2) it is slightly spaced back from the barrel end so that the fuse F of the inserted cracker B will not be choked or broken off and will extend rearwardly fully exposed for ready ignition by an applied match or punk fire.

The shutter I0 may or may not have an upper spark shield ID to close over the gap at the end of the barrel and above the cracker end.

According to the method of this invention the black powder cracker B is arranged in the breech of the barrel 6 and a flash cracker C is arranged in the barrel with its fuse F next to the inner end of the cracker B; which has its fuse F exposed at the barrel breech. When the cracker B is lighted it will then explode in the barrel 6 with the result that the flash cracker C will be projected from the muzzle of the cannon, but while moving, or as soon as the fire, of the explosion of the cracker B, in the barrel 6 reaches the fuse F of the flash cracker that fuse will be ignited, before the cracker C leaves the barrel 6, with the result that a delayed explosion of the projected cracker C will be effected at a considerable distance from the cannon.

A long'ram-rod is provided with the cannon to remove the burnt cracker B from thecannon bore while the shutter I0 is held open. 3 In the present disclosure the sleeve part 4 is an enlargement of the body 5, which to secure low cost is made of wood or other suitable cheap material.

The fixed angle of the barrel 6 to t he base 2V is a safety feature for downward-direction of the line of fire of the breech cracker in the event that the shutter [0 should be left open in the absence of-the spring-l4. a

This cannon-is much -morethan -amere play toysince-it has real and practical use in teaching the young in the art'of directionof line of fire,

possible point.

as at a target, and especially in the spotting of the target by proper position of the cannon to find the trajectory by which the target may be reached with a projectile of non-explosive structure. The high angle of the barrel 6 prevents point-blank aim at a target when the base is set on a horizontal plane of support. Considerable technique in gun-fire may be developed by the firing of the projectile C at an elevated target and bythe cutting of the-fuse F at such a point from the projectile C as is intended to effect the explosion of the projected projectile at the closest With a battery of these cannon a contest of skill of operatives may quickly reach "a hig'hpitch of interest; whether a common target or individual targets are objects of the gun fire.

What is claimed is: A cannon, of the class described, including a breech-loading barrel having its rear end cut cbliqueftoiitsaxis and' formin'g at -its'rear, lower edge a-lip' extending axiall rearward as a guide for load insertion; I e I 'EVERET'I D. BONEWITZ. 

